Food & Drink
Thrive Causemetics, More Than Skin Deep
By Rebecca Ratterman November 11, 2016
This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.
Karissa Bodnar, a former product developer for Sephora and L’Oréal and a Washington native, was moved to create Thrive Causemetics (thrivecausemetics.com), her paraben-, sulfate-, cruelty-free and vegan makeup line, after losing her close friend, Kristy, to cancer at the age of 24. Hearing Good Morning America anchor and cancer survivor Robin Roberts talk about her personal motto—“Don’t just survive, thrive”—Bodnar found the name for her line of “cause”-metics. “Creating formulas is my passion, but it’s not about me, it’s about connecting and empowering all women,” she says.
Each Thrive product is named for a woman who has battled the disease or fought other personal struggles (e.g., the Jackie faux lash set, $26, is named after Bodnar’s grandmother, who passed away from lung cancer). For every product purchased, the Queen Anne–based brand donates one of the same items to causes supporting cancer “thrivers” and organizations supporting other women’s issues, including domestic abuse. Since its launch in February 2015, Thrive has donated more than $5 million in products, ranging from lipstick to eyeliner.